Story [How To Train Your Dragon] Trial By Fire -- THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS HONOR!

Yep, it's all about to hit the fan!

Woohoo!

Yep, Bitwolf had that coming!

 

Chapter 17: Freedom

All of Berk?s Vikings were confined to their homes. The only Vikings that were outside were the ones that were under Kalem?s command, and they all had a weapon in hand to enforce the confinement. The atmosphere of the village had greatly diminished in such a short time. To most of the Vikings, Berk had a distinct atmosphere of that of a prison island. Yet, at the same time, there was a tension in the air. War was on the horizon. This confinement would not last very long before something would ignite a war between the two fractions. No one could have foreseen such a drastic turn of events in such a short time.

For the captors, tension was also in the air. With the escape of Hiccup, they all had a fair expectation that he would try to do something. They had lookouts posted at the fire pit towers to keep an eye out in the sky. If the stories were true, and the boy did have a dragon, he would most likely come swooping down from the sky. With these eyes in the sky, there was no way the boy could take them by surprise. With each Viking heavily armed, they were ready for whatever may come.

Kalem remained furious with the two morons who allowed the boy to escape. For their sakes, the boy had better try to rescue the village instead of stopping Wolfbane; otherwise, their lives would soon come to an end. Kalem was not about to take the fall for these two half-witted Vikings.

Kalem was checking up with his men near the huts at the edge of the village. He wanted to make sure that Berk?s Vikings were not planning some kind of revolt. That was something he would not stand for. He was on his way to another hut when he saw a young Viking entering the village. He knew right away that this was not Hiccup; Hiccup was a scrawny, brown haired, fish bone. This young Viking was strong, confident, and everything Hiccup was not. ?Halt! What are you doing out here??

?Hey, I?m just in the mood to stretch my legs out a little, you know?? Snotlout replied. ?Staying indoors: totally overrated! I want to be out where the action is.?

?Now is not the time for that, boy. I?m taking you back home, and this time, stay inside.?

?Well, okay, but can my friends come, as well??

?What fr?? When Snotlout stepped aside, his jaw dropped open. He was now staring into the eyes of an entire heard of dragons. There were many different species present, and there were, easily, over two hundred dragons staring him down. A few dragons he could have manage on his own, but two hundred plus dragons, was more than any one Viking could handle. Despite the odds, however, he was not going to lose his Viking demeanor. As a Viking, he was ready to die in battle; that was just the Viking way. He cautiously reached for his sword from his belt.

?Charge!? Snotlout shouted, raising his fist in the air.

The dragons began to stampede into the village, right towards Kalem. He had no time to draw his weapon. He turned and ran for his life as all the dragons stormed into the village.

Spitelout, hearing a loud commotion outside, came storming out of his house to see what was going on. Chaos was running wild through the village. All the dragons were stampeding back into the village and chasing all of Kalem?s Vikings.

The Viking, guarding his house, had been too stunned by these events to notice him outside of his house. It appeared that he was torn between doing his guard duty or to help his friends fight the dragons. Spitelout took advantage of the distraction to help take away his choice. He charged at him at full force. The Viking guard had managed to turn around to face him, but Spitelout was already on top of him. Spitelout?s fist came crashing across his face, followed by a few more powerful hits, and Kalem?s Viking was down for the count.

Taking the Viking?s weapon, Spitelout was ready to join the fray. Raising the ax above his head, he let out a fearsome war cry that was loud enough, that any of Berk?s Vikings nearby would hear and comply. Slowly, more and more of Berk?s Vikings would see what was going on and join in with the dragons to take

 

HOORAY for the dragons and Vikings of Berk.

That was fun!


I hope the gang can get to Stoic and the hunting party in time.

 

We'll see. I'll have another chapter up this Wednesday with any luck, and then we'll be back to the old schedule.

The next story, The Outcast Lands, is coming along great. I've begun to search for a beta reader to help me fix grammatical and punctuation usage. I want the next story to be the absolute best as it can be.

 

Here's another chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 18: Wolfbane and Dragon

The two ships followed the Island?s shore to the opposite end of the Island. It was very weird for Stoick not to be the one giving the orders. He could only stand and watch as Ivar gave all the commands. He felt like a stranger among his own family. The funny thing about this hunting party, was that more than half of it was made up of Berk?s Vikings. This was not the make-up for this party that he would expect Ivar to come up with.

Even more surprising was that Gobber was on the same boat as he was. At least they were able to talk to each other, because everyone else was afraid to. Ivar seemed to make sure that the two of them were made to feel like outcasts.

?Perhaps the Shadow Lord deserves what?s coming,? Gobber said, desperately wanting to break the uncomfortable silence.

?Perhaps,? Stoick replied. ?But not like this. Gobber, what have I done? If I had only stood up for the dragons in the first place, I wouldn?t be losing my son.?

?I wouldn?t call it quits just yet. Hiccup's very much as stubborn and hard headed as you. Ivar can push the boy only so much farther before he begins to push back. Ivar is right about one thing, though; Hiccup is destined for greatness. This may, very well, be that moment in time that Hiccup starts to shine.?

?Aye, I hope you?re right,? Stoick replied.

Ivar walked past the two of them, making his way towards the rear of the ship. ?Prepare to make land fall onto the shore. We?re going the rest of the way on foot.?

Stoick grumbled to himself. As he looked up into the sky, he noticed something strange flying in their direction. Gobber also seemed to notice the same thing. ?What IS that??

As it came closer, Stoick was able to identify exactly what he was seeing, and it did not bode well for any of them. ?It?s trouble.?

?What?s trouble?? Ivar overheard Stoick and Gobber?s conversation.
Ivar looked to the sky and was shocked to see Wolfbane floating in the sky. ?What in Odin?s name!?

All the Vikings were aghast at seeing a floating Viking over their heads. None one knew what to make of it, and that was exactly the response Wolfbane had hope to instill upon them. By the looks of their faces, the only ones that knew what was coming was Stoick and maybe even his friend Gobber. ?Greetings, sir! I?ve been waiting for.?

?I demand to know what?s going on? You told me you knew where the Shadow Lord was.?

?And I do,? Wolfbane grinned. ?He?s right here.?

A giant black dragon faded-in before everyone?s eyes. No longer was Wolfbane merely ?floating on air? he was actually riding on the back of a Shadow Lord. This was beyond Ivar?s comprehension. Not only was he baffled about how he was able to make peace with such an evil dragon, but he was outraged by his treachery. He was punishing Berk for their violating the Viking code, and now his most trusted Viking had done the same thing.

?You?re ?Viking code? is outdated and pathetic. It?s time for a new code, and a new leader. With you and Stoick gone, I will well be on my way of becoming Viking King.

?I knew this was bad,? Stoick said softly to his friend, who was mesmerized by the sight of the Shadow Lord.

?You treacherous dog! I will have your head for this!?

?I seriously doubt that.?

The Shadow Lord pulled his neck back, as he opened his mouth and took a deep breath. Green gas gathered around the back of his throat as he prepared to attack.

?Everybody in the water, now!? Stoick ordered, screaming as loud as he could.

Everyone on the boats eagerly obliged, and jumped overboard as the Shadow Lord showered a continuous stream of fire at the boats. Both boats quickly became engulfed in giant flames as the Vikings began to swim away. Wolfbane could only laugh at the pathetic sight of the legendary Ivar the Fearsome swimming for his life. ?There is no escape. Get onto the land, and you?ll become lunch for this magnificent beast. You can die with honor, or you can die like cowards. It makes no difference to me.?

Stoick and Gobber found themselves in th

 

Wow! Gripping action sequence.

Can't wait for plan B.

Great!

 

Loving story, and the interesting feature of the Shadow Lord fading in like that. And Stoick's reaction was wonderful.

 

Yep, that's what makes the Shadow Lord so deadly.

 

Chapter 19: Fight to Survive

Stoick was relieved to be finally getting out of the water. The Vikings have made it onto shore thanks to Hiccup?s distraction. He and Gobber were helping the others out of the water while they took a head count. They had been very fortunate that none one seemed to have perished in the attack; everyone was accounted for and unharmed.

When the last Viking was on shore, Ivar made a straight path towards Stoick. ?How? How did your son come to own a Night Fury??

?With all due respect, it?s not about the boy owning the dragon. What those two have goes beyond that. What they have is a friendship, and that?s something Wolfbane probably doesn?t understand. Dragons are good for other things other than trophies. They have helped us defeat other hostile dragons that we could not have otherwise defeated.?

Ivar looked away, not sure what to make of Stoick?s argument. Gobber could not hold back any longer, and he stepped forward to give his opinions. ?Let?s face it, Hiccup and Toothless is the only hope of defeating that giant black turkey. You may have killed some exotic beasts in your time, but there are some beasts, out there, that even you can?t kill without the help of dragons, and that Shadow Lord is one of them!?

?Hey look!? One of the Vikings pointed to the sky. The three Vikings ceased their conversation to return their attention to the fight that was going on over their heads.

* * * *

Hiccup and Toothless continued to bombard the Shadow Lord from all directions. Igniting the gas in the Shadow Lord?s throat did not work; the dragon had know what was coming. Hiccup figured that the two dragons knew each other pretty well. Shooting flames into another dragon?s mouth was an attack created solely by Toothless. It stood to reason, that it was natural fighting style of all Night Furies. If that was true, then it would explain how the Shadow Lord knew what was coming.

Keeping that in mind, Hiccup realized that it was going to take a fighting style that they had come-up with together, to defeat this dragon. There was one attack, in particular, that they used against Green Death that proved to be very fruitful, and he could only hope that it did so again.

While the Shadow Lord was looking for him, Toothless came slicing through the clouds and shot a blue fire-ball at the Shadow Lord?s wings. The giant dragon was in complete disarray. He clearly was baffled by their method of attack. Hiccup hoped with a few good hits, they could weaken the dragon?s wings. That was how they defeated Green Death. With some timely hits to the dragon queen?s wings, they had become too weak to stop itself from crashing into the ground. The wings of the Shadow Lord, were much denser than the Green Death?s, but perhaps with a continual pounding at them, they would begin to give way.

Toothless again made another swipe at the dragon, hitting the other wing. They were able to deliver one more hit before Wolfbane?s rage started to get the better of him. ?Come on you stupid dragon! You?re not going to let a little boy, and a puny Night Fury, get the best of you!?

The Shadow Lord growled angrily, quickly losing his patience towards the Viking on his back. This new tactic from the Night Fury had taken the dragon completely by surprise, and up to this point, there had been no gained advantage by having a Viking partner.

The dragon had to steal the momentum from the Night Fury, and there was only one way he could do it. The dragon faded out until he was completely invisible. With the power of invisibility, he could quickly overtake the Night Fury and finish him off.

The Night Fury?s war cry sounded again, as he was about to make yet another pass. Wolfbane frantically looked down to see the dragon, underneath him, invisible. The Shadow Lord went to stealth itself from the next attack, but there was only one problem with the plan.

The Night Fury unleashed another fire ball, and despite being invisible, the flames again made a precise hit upon the Shadow Lord?s right wing. The dragon faded back into appearance. ?You dum

 

giant black turkey


Fantastic fight scene


Using his claws and tail to prevent the Night Fury from moving, Hiccup found himself looking up into the face of evil.

Oh, boy!

 

**Rooting for Hiccup and Toothless!!!!**

 

Please pardon the month long hiatus. A new schedule for me has thrown everything out of whack, and then add a lightning bolt hitting my house and frying my DSL monitor and computer ethernet card. Add that, and trying to combine two chapters to make one longer one so not to leave a cliffhanger as we near the end of the story.

Well, I had no choice in the matter, I had to break up this chapter, it was getting ridiculously long. It was turning out to be the length of three normal sized 2,000 words chapter. So Instead, I am able to split it up into two larger chapters. The next chapter is near completion so it will not take me nearly as long as it did for this chapter. Sorry for leaving you all hanging, especially during this climatic conclusion.

Chapter 20: United Against Evil

Hiccup looked up at the jaws of death over his head. The Shadow Lord had himself so wrapped up around Toothless, that the Night Fury could not do anything to help him. Toothless was whining and moaning as he coiled, bent, and did whatever he could think of doing to break out of the dragon?s clutches; he was completely helpless to protect himself.

As the Shadow Lord started to go in for the kill, a blazing hot blaze of fire came splashing down on the back of his neck. Hiccup looked around the giant head in front of him to see Astrid and all of his friends riding on the backs of their dragons. The surprise attack caused the Shadow Lord to loosen his grip on Toothless, giving him the opportunity to spin around to protect Hiccup. Toothless fired a blue puff of fire into the dark dragon?s face.

The Shadow Lord roared angrily, as he untangled himself from the Night Fury. The ocean water was quickly approaching; they had no time to waiste. Speedily, Toothless and Hiccup worked together to straighten themselves out. Toothless spread his wings once again, and was able to take flight, with his belly gently splashing across the water. They raced to ascend higher into the sky to meet with their friends.

?We thought you could use a hand,? Astrid said. ?It looks like we arrived just in time.?

?A little earlier would have been just as great.,? Hiccup grinned.

Astrid smiled briefly before her face became more remorseful. ?Hiccup, I?m sorry. I?m sorry for everything.?

He could read it in her eyes; there was no need to clarify what she was apologizing for. He was just glad that she now knew the truth. ?It doesn?t matter anymore. All that matters is the Shadow Lord. We?ve got to deal with him.?

?Say, whatever happened to Wolfbane, anyway? I thought he was gonna? make the Shadow Lord his dragon,? Snotlout asked.

Hiccup did not have to say anything to answer his question. With a serious look on his face, it was clear to everyone in the group, what had happened. All of them grimaced in disgust. ?Ick!? Tuffnut grunted.

?So tell us what to do?? Astrid said, quickly wanting to get her mind off of Wolfbane?s fate and onto the task at hand.

?We?ve got to find a way to survive long enough to figure out how to defeat the Shadow Lord. He's too fast and strong for Toothless and myself to handle alone. Perhaps together, we can find a weakness."

* * * *

Ivar was, yet again, surprised when more of Berk?s young Vikings came swooping into the action. Stoick?s son was not the only Viking to know how to ride on the backs of dragons. Along with the Night Fury, he could also spot a Gronckle, a two-headed Zippleback, a Deadly Nadder, and even a Monstrous Nightmare. It was hard enough to grasp that a Night Fury was willing to work with Vikings, but a Monstrous Nightmare? Ivar had though they had come straight from helheim, yet everything he was seeing contradicted everything he thought he knew.

Stoick could read the confusion in Ivar?s face. He could not help but find it funny that the Legendary Ivar the Fearsome was now being schooled about dragons. ?Now, you?ll see what my son can really do.?

* * * *
Hiccup and Toothless was in the center of the line-formation that they formed as they approached the Shadow Lord. ?Okay, we?ve got to keep him distra

 

Gripping update! Can't wait to find out how it unravels.

In case I haven't said this before, I really enjoy the twins bickering .

 

They made up! They made up! Awesome chapter.

 

Thank's everyone! Two chapters remaining! Tomorrow, I'll have the exciting conclusion to the final battle, and then I will immedeatly begin working on the closing chapter.

 

Chapter 21: Hiccup?s Plan

The Shadow Lord had quickly regained the upper hand over the Monstrous Nightmare and the Deadly Nadder. Astird and Snotlout had their dragons pounce on the larger dragon to buy Hiccup time to get Fishlegs to safety. Unfortunately, their distraction was starting to turn against them.

Hiccup saw the dark dragon gaining the momentum, and urged Toothless to push himself as fast as he could to get back into the fight. The Shadow Lord had taken out two of their dragons and three members of their group. So far, they?ve been lucky that none of them have been killed, and he was determined to keep it that way. He was also determined not to have Astrid or Snotlout taken out of the fight, either. He could not afford to lose the number's advantage he had over the dragon.

The Shadow Lord broke free from the Monstrous Nightmare?s entanglement, and he bore his sharp, pointed teeth towards it. The dragon had fire in his eyes, and death on his mind. He twisted himself into position, and swung his tail like a whip. Astrid and Snotlout saw the attack coming and was able to fly away to a safe distance. However, Hiccup did not see what the dragon was in the middle of doing until it was too late. He had arrived only to have the massive tail come crashing into Toothless? rib cage.

?Whoa!? Hiccup yelled at the same time as Toothless howled as they spiraled downward. Hiccup leaned into Toothless?s neck as hard as he could, as he closed his eyes to keep himself from getting dizzy. He had no time to do anything else as they hit the water like a rock.

Astrid saw Hiccup and Toothless hit the water; and it was, as if, she had hit the side of a mountain. The way they hit the water was sickening. If it was just Hiccup who landed in the water, there would be no doubt that he could have survived the fall, but Hiccup hit the water, back first, with the full weight of a Night Fury on top of him. There was a better chance that he could have been killed upon impact, and the thought of Hiccup dead was like a bucket of icy cold water being poured over her head. ?Hiccup!?

* * * *

The wind was knocked out of him, but that was the extent to his injuries. The impact had unlatched his artificial foot from the saddle?s pedal, and now he found himself holding his breath under water. He looked over to see Toothless coming to his senses. He looked at him with his yellowish eyes as to ask what the next move was.

The truth was that Hiccup had no idea what to do; the Shadow Lord had outsmarted them in every way up to this point. The only thing he knew was that they could not stay hidden under the water. Toothless may be able to survive underwater for an extended time, but he couldn?t.

Hiccup noticed that something below had caught Toothless? attention. He looked down into the blue depths of the ocean. At first, he could see nothing but an endless abyss, but then he could faintly make out a shadowy outline making its way up from the depths. Eight tentacles were swerving through the water like sea serpents.

Could this be the mythical Monstrous Strangulator that attacked Ivar?s ships? He remembered hearing stories about this sea dragon when he was younger. This dragon lived in caves, and had eight tentacles like a squid. If he remembered the stories correctly, this beast was virtually blind. Based on the movement of this dragon, that rumor seemed to be true. The dragon was attracted to all the commotion up above the water.

An idea suddenly dawned on him; he now knew a way to take down the Shadow Lord. It was a long shot, and if it failed, they would have to face the wrath of two dragons instead of just one. It was a risk that he was willing to take. If things went wrong, there was no negotiating with the Shadow Lord, but there was a chance that the Monstrous Strangulator might be intelligent enough to be reasoned with. With his air running out, he had no choice but to make the move.

* * * *

The Shadow Lord searched the water for the Night Fury. The dragon had not yet reemerged, and he had begun to wonder why. Unable to see any

 

WOW! Great plan and execution.




YAY, everything worked out

 

Epilogue: The Sendoff

The first order of business after returning to Berk was to incarcerate the treasonous Vikings in a safe location. The next thing everyone did was partake in a hearty feast in celebration. After the feast, it was time to bring the dragons back into the village. Within a few days, things were back to normal in Berk until the day came when Ivar announced that he and his tribe were to depart.

When the day had come for he and his tribe to head home, Hiccup was surprised how solemn the event turned out to be. In the past few days, Hiccup had grown to respect Ivar very much. Ivar had begun to treat him as his equal, probably more so than Hiccup deserved at his young age. Now, he felt like a close friend was leaving for a long journey.

Hiccup was joined by Astrid, as well as Gobber and Stoick down at the docks to bid farewell. ?Well, our ships are loaded, and the traitorous Vikings have been loaded,? Ivar said. ?However, there?s still a few issues that must be addressed before I go.?

?And what?s that?? Stoick asked.

?The first is with you, young Hiccup. I?ve been wrong about many things about you, except for one thing: you are indeed destined to greatness. Generations from now, Viking mothers will be telling their younglings bedtime stories of you and your adventures. From this day forward, I declare that you shall be known as Hiccup the Horrendous.?

Hiccup?s eyes widen at the official declaration. To be given a terrifying title to their name was an honor that only the best Vikings received. Vikings believed that terrifying names scared the evil spirits away. To receive such a title was an immediate demand for respect and honor. It was an honor usually given to adult Vikings who have become their village?s hero. Hiccup had to be the youngest Viking ever to be given such an honorary title. To be given such a terrifying name by a fellow legendary Viking, like Ivar the Fearsome, was the ultimate honor. By Ivar?s declaration, he had given Hiccup the greatest show of respect than any Viking could show towards another.

Stoick patted his son on the back, who was at a loss for words. ?Oh wow! I mean?thank you, sir!?

?That is amighty fine name fitting for a Viking, who rides upon a Night Fury,? Gobber agreed.

Hiccup looked over at Astrid who smiled back at him, with a slight tint of red in her face. ?I think it?s perfect.?

?Now for my final order of business,? Ivar said as he looked to his right and waved his right hand to call over another Viking. One of Ivar?s Viking?s approached the group, pushing the young Bitwolf forward who reluctantly obeyed. The boy was emotionless, and refused to look anyone in the eye, as of late. ?You and your father tried to kill me, and that will not go unpunished.?

?Aw, the boy just lost his father,? Gobber replied. ?Perhaps that should be punishment enough.?

?No,? Ivar said bitterly. ?This boy?s punishment has only begun. I do not take kindly to this type of betrayal. You are, hereby, banished from our home. You are no longer welcomed at our village. Instead, you shall become a member of the tribe of Berk. This is your new home, boy.?

Bitwolf remained emotionless, almost as if he had not heard anything which was being said to him. ?While you are here, you shall undergo dragon training, where you shall be taken under the wing of Hiccup the Horrendous.? Ivar looked over to Hiccup. ?Will you accept this boy as your student. He is to relearn everything he knows about dragons, and I expect you to help him become a Viking of Berk.?

Hiccup was surprised by Ivar?s punishment. While it must have seemed harsh to the young Viking, Hiccup found it uncharacteristically compassionate. The boy had no living family members left at home, so Ivar had decided to leave him here at Berk, where he could establish new friends and family. Of course, Ivar had to maintain his image of ruthlessness. It was amazing how he could do an act of compassion and present it in a ruthless manner.

Of course, it was going to take time for Bitwolf to fit in again here, after everything he had done.

 

Fantastic story, MrJop!



Looking forward to the next one.

 

Hiccup the Horrendous...? That totally suits him. (And awesome, awesome ending for the Shadow Lord.)


And you're working on another? Yay!!!!!

 

Yep, I've already started storyboarding the story, and I am excited about it. The scope of this story is leaving this story in the dust. The villian of the story? Well, if this was Star Trek, the Shadow Lord and Wolfbane would be Klingon and this villian would be the Borg. If this series becomes a trilogy, I have a very strong feeling this villian will make his mark yet again.